Southampton Hopeful Adam Lallana Will Reject Liverpool

Southampton are eager for Adam Lallana to remain at the club but have warned Liverpool they must be prepared to offer big money to have any hope of prising him away from St Mary's.

Having already allowed Rickie Lambert to leave the club to join Brendan Rodgers' side, Saints are reluctant to see any more departures after finally naming their new manager in Ronald Koeman on Monday.

During the process of finding Mauricio Pochettino's replacement, Southampton vowed not to proceed with any transfers, ingoing or outgoing, until the club found their man to replace the Argentine, who stepped down in order to take over at Tottenham Hotspur.

But following Koeman's appointment that restriction has been lifted and with Liverpool having already made a bid for Lallana and Manchester United relentlessly chasing Luke Shaw, Lambert is unlikely to be the last man to leave Southampton before the summer ends.

However, executive director Les Reed insists the club will be resolute in their attempts to keep the squad together and is hopeful their coveted stars remain loyal to the club that nurtured their development, but admits the right offers may force their hand.

"We need to sit down, assess and audit our squad and look at the strengths and weaknesses," Reed said. "We'll look at players that we would like to bring in and then look at the individual cases of the players who may want to leave.

"Lallana's been here long enough, we've brought him to this level and we feel that perhaps he should give it a little bit longer.

"Anybody seriously considering coming for our players are going to have to think very significantly about the size of the fee. If we do take money it will be because it is the right amount and it enables us to improve the team and move forward.

"I hope the managerial announcement will prick up a few ears and they will think that's a good, positive move for the club. If players leave, it will be because we believe it is right for the club."

In addition to Lallana and Shaw, Southampton face a battle to hold onto a number of other of players who were central to their eighth place finish last season. Croatian international Dejan Lovren has also been linked with joining Lambert and possibly Lallana on Merseyside, while Arsenal have been credited with interest in Calum Chambers following his breakout campaign on the south coast.

Morgan Schneiderlin is another to be linked with the Gunners, after revealing his desire to play for a club competing in the Champions League.